Expanding the Quiver 2021 (Midwest/West, second time ski-buyer recommendations)

[smokeythedog]

I'm moving to Denver for 18 months to fulfill my dream of skiing a full season in Colorado (shoutout online college/Covid), and looking to expand the quiver!

Most of my skiing is in the Midwest, and I've skied a 2013 Volkl RTM 84 (full-rocker) since I was 14. I have sent them through the ringer, but it's the only ski I've ever ridden besides rentals. I'm going to be replacing those after 6-7 seasons of skiing, and adding another pair to have more options to ski. I'm looking for a frontside 'all-mountain' carving ski, as well as a wide ski that can handle a vast amount of terrain. I love skiing hard, and I'm new to the ski lingo but I think I'm looking for something with a good mix off stiffness and dampness.

Skis I'm considering are Volkl Deacon 76 or 84, K2 Disruption 82ti, Head Kore 93/99, Nordica Enforcer 94/100/104, Stockli Laser AX/AR, and the Blizzard Rustler 9/10 (open to suggestions too!). My experience with the RTM 84 has been great, it's a ripper and I does fine in soft snow and ice in the midwest.

I'm questioning whether I should go with a fatter carving ski (Deacon 84, Disruption 82ti, Laser AR) that can act as an all-mountain in the midwest, or go smaller under the waist for a true on-piste carver?

I'd also love to hear some opinions on the wider skis I mentioned. I'm especially curious on the differences between the Enforcer 93/100/104 and Rustler 9/10. What widths will get me decent performance on hard pack but still be able to handle a powder dump? Which skis are better for hard charging, or have a good mixture of speed and playfulness? Out of both ski categories, which one would I be skiing the most out West?

 

[Ogg]

You probably don’t need anything narrower than an 88 for anything you’re likely to ski regularly in CO. I love my Kore 93s as a 50/50 East/west ski but would probably add something wider if I was spending a winter out west.

 

[smokeythedog]

You probably don’t need anything narrower than an 88 for anything you’re likely to ski regularly in CO. I love my Kore 93s as a 50/50 East/west ski but would probably add something wider if I was spending a winter out west.

I should add that I've never skied the Rockies before, so I don't know exactly what to expect out there. How much snow/crud is on your average trail? I can only think of what I've experienced in Michigan, Minnesota, and Vermont.

 

[Philpug]

You probably don’t need anything narrower than an 88 for anything you’re likely to ski regularly in CO. I love my Kore 93s as a 50/50 East/west ski but would probably add something wider if I was spending a winter out west.

I will disagree with that. A carver in the rockies is for the conditions you actually ski...verses the conditions you hope to ski.

 

[Philpug]

If there is a budget constraint, I would not dismiss two leftover (or even used) skis verses one pair of new. An 80ish and 100-104 will cover msot everything you will need.

 

[SkiSpeed]

Don’t overlook Liberty Skis: the V series are all mt carvers and they rip; they will own CO snow. The Liberty Evolve series uses similar technology but builds a different tip, tail, and rocker profile making the ski a good competitor to Brahmas, Enforcer’s, etc. Both lines come in different widths.

 

[smokeythedog]

If there is a budget constraint, I would not dismiss two leftover (or even used) skis verses one pair of new. An 80ish and 100-104 will cover msot everything you will need.

I originally set out to find one ski, but there seems to be a good amount of 2019/2020 stock left that makes getting two skis possible between retailers and sideline swap!

 

[François Pugh]

If you will be skiing deep snow out west, you need to add 96 mm to 112 mm waisted skis to your quiver.
I agree with Phill that you also need a narrow ski for carving fun high performance turns on the groomed trails, but unless it's totally trashed you have the 84 Ride the Mountain, and you don't seem interested in exploring the capabilities of a real high performance racing-like carver at the moment (as unfathomable as that may be ).

 

[anders_nor]

I went from the older RTM84s to new deacon 84s and loved it. I have to say the older RTM's were also super, but yeah they do wear out

then grab something 100-110mm ish for the deeper days with some rocker, trying to fit everything into 1 ski leaves you lacking to much in other areas. But I've skied pretty much everything (or tried to really) on my older rtm 84, and quite a bit "near groomer" stuff on the deacon 84s. There are usually some pretty good deals to be had on either slightly used, or just.. "not this years" topsheet, like instant 50% off.

I think phils " If there is a budget constraint, I would not dismiss two leftover (or even used) skis verses one pair of new. An 80ish and 100-104 will cover msot everything you will need." nails it.

 

[Lvovsky /Pasha/Pavel]

Bent Chetler 100 last year model. Al’s Barn in Main has them and will ship. Google them.

 

[Philpug]

How big of a guy are you? What size skis are you thinking?

 

[smokeythedog]

Don’t overlook Liberty Skis: the V series are all mt carvers and they rip; they will own CO snow. The Liberty Evolve series uses similar technology but builds a different tip, tail, and rocker profile making the ski a good competitor to Brahmas, Enforcer’s, etc. Both lines come in different widths.

I'll give them a look. Any favorite widths? The V-82 is appealing with a full-carbon layup and huge edge length. They're good looking skis too!

 

[smokeythedog]

If you will be skiing deep snow out west, you need to add 96 mm to 112 mm waisted skis to your quiver.
I agree with Phill that you also need a narrow ski for carving fun high performance turns on the groomed trails, but unless it's totally trashed you have the 84 Ride the Mountain, and you don't seem interested in exploring the capabilities of a real high performance racing-like carver at the moment (as unfathomable as that may be ).

I'm exploring the idea of adding a dedicated carver and having a wider all-mountain ski. I'm not refined on which models across many brands, but I'm assuming something like the Head Supershape line and comparable models from other manufacturers? How do those skis perform when conditions aren't ideal (i.e. high traffic days, or a bit of slush/crud)?

I'm really enticed by the Enforcers, Rustlers, Kores, Ripsticks and it seems that the consensus is those would be daily drivers in the 100mm waist width, so adding a dedicated carving ski might be more fun than having another jack-of-all-trades.

 

[smokeythedog]

I went from the older RTM84s to new deacon 84s and loved it. I have to say the older RTM's were also super, but yeah they do wear out

then grab something 100-110mm ish for the deeper days with some rocker, trying to fit everything into 1 ski leaves you lacking to much in other areas. But I've skied pretty much everything (or tried to really) on my older rtm 84, and quite a bit "near groomer" stuff on the deacon 84s. There are usually some pretty good deals to be had on either slightly used, or just.. "not this years" topsheet, like instant 50% off.

I think phils " If there is a budget constraint, I would not dismiss two leftover (or even used) skis verses one pair of new. An 80ish and 100-104 will cover msot everything you will need." nails it.

I love my RTMs, granted they're the only skis I've spent time on. I've refinished the top layer with epoxy a few times and am ready to try something new though. I like that the Deacons and newer RTMs have camber underfoot instead of being a full-rocker. Do you ski the Deacon out West? I'm afraid I'll get them and they'll collect dust while I ride a 100-110mm ski all season.

 

[smokeythedog]

How big of a guy are you? What size skis are you thinking?

I'm 6'0 and 180 lbs, and I'm thinking 175-185 range depending on the ski. My RTMs are 176!

 

[anders_nor]

Norwegian, so got no idea on your west east discussion, I just ski

 

[SkiSpeed]

I'll give them a look. Any favorite widths? The V-82 is appealing with a full-carbon layup and huge edge length. They're good looking skis too!

The V-82 is a good width and depending on your size, the V-92's scale down, e.g. the 172 V-92 is 90mm underfoot (I have both the 76 and 92). The V-82 will love skiing between storm days out west and if you pair that w/a wider ski for those epic pow days, you will have a nice 2 ski set up.

The Evolve 90 is also great option and width for out west as it has a more off-piste design, will move some snow underfoot, and will hold an edge when needed.

Enjoy!

 

[Quandary]

If you don't want to go small manufacturer K2 Mindbender 90TI and 108TI will cover just about everything. Another good alternative would be Jskis Masterblaster (96) and The Friend (117) if you want to go toward a wider pairing. With only a 2 ski quiver you certainly don't need anything smaller than a 90 waist in CO as that will give you more versatility. Where will you be skiing, that could also drive the recommendation.

 

[François Pugh]

If you're going to buy a deep snow ski and a carving ski, buy a ~108 mm pair and a ~70 mm pair; don't buy two compromise skis. Buy one compromise ski if you like, but getting an 82 mm and a 96 mm ski would be like switching between all-weather and all-season tire. No, if you want switch between summer and winter rubber you buy Studded Nokian Hakkapelita (R3 if studs are not allowed where you live or if you don't see ice often enough to justify the studs) and Michelin Pilots or similar.

 

[DanoT]

I have had a Head Kore 93 as my daily driver soft snow western ski for the past two seasons. I love the superlight weight, yet they are stiff and damp.

I have had no problems skiing powder and cut up snow with the Kore 93s however they are a bit of work for this old guy in foot deep+, so last season I demoed Black Crows Altris (108 wide and very light weight). They were so good that they forced me to buy a pair.

I also have an old pair of Kastle MX83s for when it hasn't snowed in a week or so and things have firmed up.

My suggestion is to buy a new mid 90s or high 80s wide daily driver and then look to get a used wider pow and used narrow carver ski if the budget allows.